Just as the carriage came round Mr. Bradshaw turned to Ruth “Any message for Leonard beyond love, which is a matter of course?”

Ruth gasped—­for she saw Mr. Donne catch at the name; she did not guess the sudden sharp jealousy called out by the idea that Leonard was a grown-up man.

“Who is Leonard?” said he to the little girl standing by him; he did not know which she was.

“Mrs. Denbigh’s little boy,” answered Mary.

Under some pretence or other, he drew near to Ruth; and in that low voice which she had learnt to loathe he said—­

“Our child?”

By the white misery that turned her face to stone—­by the wild terror in her imploring eyes—­by the gasping breath which came out as the carriage drove away—­he knew that he had seized the spell to make her listen at last.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE MEETING ON THE SANDS

“He will take him away from me!  He will take the child from me!”

These words rang like a tolling bell through Ruth’s head.  It seemed to her that her doom was certain.  Leonard would be taken from her.  She had a firm conviction—­not the less firm because she knew not on what it was based—­that a child, whether legitimate or not, belonged of legal right to the father.  And Leonard, of all children, was the prince and monarch.  Every man’s heart would long to call Leonard “Child!” She had been too strongly taxed to have much power left her to reason coolly and dispassionately, just then, even if she had been with any one who could furnish her with information from which to draw correct conclusions.  The one thought haunted her night and day—­“He will take my child away from me!” In her dreams she saw Leonard borne away into some dim land, to which she could not follow.  Sometimes he sat in a swiftly-moving carriage, at his father’s side, and smiled on her as he passed by, as if going to promised pleasure.  At another time he was struggling to return to her; stretching out his little arms, and crying to her for the help she could not give.  How she got through the days she did not know; her body moved about and habitually acted, but her spirit was with her child.  She thought often of writing and warning Mr. Benson of Leonard’s danger; but then she shrank from recurring to circumstances all mention of which had ceased years ago; the very recollection of which seemed buried deep for ever.  Besides, she feared occasioning discord or commotion in the quiet circle in which she lived.  Mr. Benson’s deep anger against her betrayer had been shown too clearly in the old time to allow her to think that he would keep it down without expression now.  He would cease to do anything to forward his election; he would oppose him as much as he could; and Mr. Bradshaw would be angry, and a storm would arise, from the bare thought of which Ruth shrank with the cowardliness of a person thoroughly worn out with late contest.  She was bodily wearied with her spiritual buffeting.